Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling fellow Democrats as she weighs whether to stay in leadership and run for minority leader after losing control of the House Tuesday night, according to two senior Democratic aides and one lawmaker.

Pelosi has made some of these contacts herself but has had surrogates reach out to other Democrats to test her support level within the caucus.

The members making calls on Pelosi's behalf include some of her closest friends and allies in the House — Reps. George Miller (Calif.), Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), Steve Israel (N.Y.) and Robert Brady (Pa.), among others, said House insiders.

Pelosi is working her way through most, if not all, the Democratic Caucus, said these sources.

The 70-year-old Pelosi is not directly asking to stay on as Democratic leader at this point. Rather, she is seeking their feedback on what the leadership should look like in the next Congress, although the implied message is whether they would oppose her remaining as minority leader.

For members of her inner circle, the calls suggest that she may not be ready “to turn the keys over” while she’s gauging the more general feelings of Democrats outside her tightest clutch of backers, according to one of the aides.

A Democrat who spoke to Pelosi today said she is "just trying to figure out the mood of the caucus." This member told her "to do what she wants, I support you."

But the Democratic lawmaker also pointed out that Pelosi told ABC News’ Diane Sawyer on Wednesday that she would be "talking to my members ..." and would announce her decision when she finishes that process.

"I've gotten a positive response, but I haven't gone to a place where I've made a decision about that," Pelosi told the Huffington Post on Thursday. "Only today have I even looked at messages or anything that relate to me from ... members, friends, progressives, whether that's collectively in organizations or as individuals. And, of course, the ones you will hear from are the ones who want you to run."

The calls come amid a trickle of conservative Blue Dogs suggesting Thursday that Pelosi should step down — a move that could clear the path for Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland to lead the party in the minority.

Utah Rep. Jim Matheson, co-chairman of the decimated Blue Dog Coalition, told POLITICO Thursday that Pelosi should not run for minority leader because "we just got whupped" on Election Day. North Carolina Rep. Heath Shuler, the other Blue Dog co-chairman, told CQ-Roll Call that he doesn't think she'll run — and that he'll wage a Quixotic battle against her if she does. And the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported that Rep. Mike Ross, a former Blue Dog leader, said he won't vote for Pelosi.

The chief of staff to another lawmaker said a proxy for Pelosi is “calling members to see where they are regarding her, or with Hoyer.”

Hoyer has told reporters he would run for leader only if Pelosi steps aside.

But the chief of staff said Hoyer might face his own challenge if that happens. Current Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told POLITICO that he intends to remain in the Democratic leadership in the 112th Congress, but it's also clear that Clyburn won't run against Hoyer. This means another liberal lawmaker could step forward to take on Hoyer in the event of a Pelosi departure.

“If she steps aside, it would not surprise me to see someone more of her side step up and challenge Hoyer,” the aide said. “I also wouldn't be surprised if that happens and whole slate gets challenged.”

Pelosi remained secluded in her Capitol office on Thursday, although she was expected to give interviews to news organizations or reporters favored by progressives.

Several Democratic insiders said Pelosi has not made a decision yet on what she will do, or at least has not divulged her plans to anyone.

Pelosi supporters also said she has “earned the right” to thoroughly consider her options and “come to a considered decision,” and they reiterated that she will not be rushed into any move until she has consulted with her colleagues, family members and closest friends.

Yet, the waiting is hard for some Democrats who want decisiveness in wake of the election results.

“[Pelosi] needs to tell us now what she wants,” said a top aide to a veteran Democrats who survived Tuesday’s Republican wave. “It’s not fair to the rest of the caucus for us to have to wait like this.”

But despite the Democrat wipeout on Election Day, Pelosi retains enormous respect and support inside the Democratic Caucus, with liberals — her base — far outnumbering moderates and conservatives.

Regarded by many as the most powerful figure in Democratic congressional politics since Lyndon Johnson, Democratic insiders across the ideological spectrum say she could win any fight for leader.

Several Democratic operatives told POLITICO that a letter she sent to colleagues late Wednesday and early Thursday read as though it were written by someone who isn't ready to back down from a fight.

"Our work is not finished," she wrote, praising Democrats for their accomplishments in the current 111th Congress, telling them that she plans to consult them in the coming days about organizing party leadership for the next Congress.

Some Pelosi stalwarts believe she shouldn't be punished for electoral losses after faithfully executing the party's agenda in such an effective manner that her name is now mentioned among those of the most powerful speakers in history.

Supporters and critics alike acknowledge her skill and energy in bringing Democrats out of the minority in 2006 and the monster fundraising ability that helped Democrats compete — even in districts where they ultimately lost.

But even some of her advocates worry about the optics of the Democratic Party keeping its top leader in place after an electoral loss that President Barack Obama referred to as a "shellacking" in a nationally televised press conference on Wednesday.

Some Democrats ask how she could possibly hope to be a recruiter for party candidates in swing districts after Republicans successfully hammered Democratic incumbents across the country by running ads featuring Pelosi.

So, it comes down to this: Will Pelosi, loved by partisans for her combativeness, willingly cede power when she knows she can win another term at the helm of the party or will she prevail upon her colleagues to give her a chance to bring them back to glory again?

Blue Dogs, who don't have the power to oust her, are now making the argument publicly that it's in the best interests of the party for Pelosi to step down.

“I'm just suggesting that when you have the largest turnover since 1948, then it's time to shake things up,” said Matheson, who watched as more than half of the Blue Dog districts flipped into Republican hands on Tuesday night.

A senior aide to one California Democrat marveled at the possibility that Pelosi would run again.

“Take a step back, Nancy, and think,” the aide said. “It’s ridiculous if you think that you should still be the leader of our party.”